A new multi-million pound centre of design excellence to support UK innovation in the transport industry and boost efforts to bridge a shortfall in essential creative skills will be opening at Coventry University in 2017.

The announcement of the National Transport Design Centre (NTDC) comes as a new report from the Automotive Council UK identifies a need for improved education provision for the vehicle design sector to meet urgent demand for creative roles such as modellers.

The NTDC – whose construction has already started on Coventry University’s Technology Park – is being funded through the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the government’s multimillion pound Local Growth Deal, with an initial £7 million contribution.